Ukraine’s defense industry increased production of ground drones by 15 times

In 2024, the Ukrainian defense industry significantly increased the production of ground-based unmanned systems.

This was stated by the Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine Herman Smetanin at the briefing “Ukrainian Weapons 2024”, which was attended by Militarnyi.

At the briefing, it was reported that in 2024, the Ukrainian defense industry had increased the production of ground drones 15 times compared to 2022.

More than 200 companies in Ukraine are working on the production of ground robotic systems for various purposes.

More than 40 developments have already been codified according to NATO standards.

Ground drones are playing an increasingly important role in modern military operations.

First and foremost, they have been used to perform tasks that can be dangerous for troops, such as minefield reconnaissance, detection and destruction of ammunition.

Then Ukrainian ground drones began to be equipped with machine guns and grenade launchers. Thanks to cameras, they can fire at the enemy while the operator is in a safe place.

For example, in 2024, Ukraine tested the Gnom ground platform, which was armed with anti-tank grenade launchers and a machine gun.

These drones can also be used to transport cargo, such as ammunition, medicine, etc. This is especially useful in situations where troops must operate in the areas of close contact with the enemy.

To this end, Ukraine has authorized the use of an armored ground logistics drone, the Zmiy Lohistychnyi (Logistic Snake), in the Defense Forces.

Ukraine has also developed a fiber-optic control system for ground drones. The main advantage of fiber-optic systems is the stable transmission of telemetry, control and video data with minimal delay.